The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

BENEFITTING from the new electronic starter’s gun that was donated to the Bahamas Association of Certified Officials by their sponsor JR McDonald, the Star Trackers’ 2016 Star Performers Track Classic broke new grounds on Saturday as the one-day meet finished before sunset - the first thing done at a local track and field meet.

The meet, which attracted athletes from Grand Bahama, Andros, Moore’s Island and Eleuthera, including Harbour Island, said a couple of CARIFTA qualifying performances from Kennedy Culmer, Sasha Wells, Tiffany Hanna, Brianne Bethel, Chrisma Taylor, Serena Brown, Max Azor, Bronson Rolle, Edward Kemp and Johnny Jean-Jaques as well as a national record tied, albeit wind-aided, by Tamara Myers.

Also making a special appearance was Olympian Jeffery Gibson.

“This electronic gun, in talking to Ray Hepburn, president of BACO, said the gun has brought a lot of efficiency to conducting the meet,” said David Charlton, head coach of the Star Trackers, who facilitated the process to acquire the gun through McDonald and his companies Baker Concrete and Greyco Limited. “I personally believe that this gun enabled us to conduct this meet efficiently and fluently.”

Ray Hepburn, who received the gun from McDonald on Thursday during a press conference, said it worked out very good.

“The only issue we have is the sound. I think we need to find a way to amplify the sound a little more,” he said. “We are going to be looking into trying to get a speaker with an amplifier on it that we can attach to the gun. But it was fantastic. Considering that we may have done about 300 shots today, it was truly a blessing. It definitely speed up the meet and with it having a finish line feature, we were able to integrate into the computer that picked up the results. So it worked perfectly.”

Charlton said the meet also went to another level with the way the announcers performed their duties, keeping the public alive, especially where there was a lure in the action. Once again, Michael Jules, considered the “voice of the CARIFTA Games,’ was brought in and he worked with a group of local announcers, including Curt Hollingsworth, Drumeco Archer, Philippa Willie and Winston Marshall.

“Because of everyone working together, the coaches, the clubs and the officials, this event was able to be concluded before sunset and that is unheard of in track and field here in the Bahamas,” Charlton said. “We ran all of the senior events, so I am personally ecstatic and I believe this will be used as a milestone moving forward in conducting track and field in the Bahamas.”